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ROYAL WEST ACADEMY GALA TO MARK 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

MONTREAL, SEPTEMBER 9, 2013- Royal West Academy (RWA) in Montreal West (189 Easton) will host a 30th anniversary gala on Thursday, September 19 (7 p.m.), with 1998 graduate and Global TV Montreal late night anchor Elysia Bryan-Baynes serving as emcee. All friends of RWA are invited to this free event.

In accepting the role of emcee, Elysia stated: "There is so much to celebrate! RWA has always been a place of community and friendship, learning and warmth. It's an honour to be a part of it all."

The gala will feature prizes, a silent auction, and performances by RWA students, including the school’s award-winning Honour Band. As well, there will be a few selections from the musical Anything Goes, directed by Doug Floen, and a performance by the school’s Bardolators from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The evening will culminate in the draw of the winning tickets for the Royal West raffle. The winner of the grand prize will take home a pair of tickets in the Desjardins Club section to 15 Hab’s home games – a value of $5,777. Second prize is a pair of tickets to 10 games; 3rd, 4th and 5th prizes are a pair of tickets to 5 games each. All proceeds go to help transform the school’s 80-year old auditorium into a Performing Arts Centre for students and the community.

Raffle tickets are only $40 each and can be purchased on the secure website www.royalwestraffle.org right up until the moment the winning tickets are drawn. Only 2,500 tickets will be sold.

Says RWA Foundation ambassador Jacob Tierney, actor, writer, director and RWA class of 1996 alumnus, “This evening will not only celebrate RWA’s storied history of excellence but also showcase the talented students. My fondest memories are of being part of the plays directed by Doug Floen, an excellent teacher, mentor and director. I strongly believe that the creation of a Performing Arts Centre fulfills the school's already sterling commitment to the arts.”

The raffle and gala mark a new era of outreach for RWA. A high-achieving public school and a viable alternative to private education, the school is continuously driven to improve its facilities. This is the mandate taken on by the RWA Foundation, which was created to raise funds for three projects: the new gym (finished in 2009), the current project to overhaul the auditorium, and the expansion and modernization of the library. The Foundation is working to involve parents, alumni, and the community, with the “Sharing the Stage with You” campaign seeking to raise a total of $2.2 million to fund the three-phase auditorium renovation.

“Our 80-year-old auditorium is out-of-date and a priority for us to overhaul,” says RWA Foundation president Jasmin Uhthoff.

Once the space is renovated, the school is committed to opening the Performing Arts Centre to community use. RWA is looking forward to such time when the completely renovated space will benefit students, teachers, and the Montreal community at large.

The raffle will help finance part of Phase 1, resulting in new lighting, air conditioning, and a new sound system.